First-Time Nominee Spotlight: Ariana DeBose
Ariana DeBose had already received an impressive amount of first-time nominations for her role as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story between the SAG Awards, the Critics Choice Awards, the BAFTAs, and the Golden Globes — which she also won — before this year’s Oscar nominees were announced. Now that she has that prestigious recognition added to the list, it’s about time we share a look at the actor’s journey that led up to all the inaugural accolades.
DeBose grew up in North Carolina, studying dance from an early age. She appeared on So You Think You Can Dance when she was just 18 years old. “They voted me off the first week,” she recalled to IndieWire. “Had I not had that experience, I don’t think I would have pursued New York.” According to an interview with Playbill, DeBose took the advice of her mentors and moved to the Big Apple before finishing her studies at Western Carolina University. The decision led to roles in a number of productions on Broadway that included Pippin’ and Hamilton, and she originated the embodiment of “the Bullet” in the latter. DeBose was nominated for her first-ever Tony in 2018 for her work as Donna Summer in the biographical musical Summer. The thespian was starring in that show when she was initially approached to audition for West Side Story.
She told Vogue that her character trait of being forthright and honest was something Spielberg came to value and a quality she displayed right from the start. DeBose recalled how the filmmaker asked during an early audition, “Is there anything else we need to know about you?” The actor was ready with her answer. “Yeah, I’m an Afro Latina,” DeBose replied. “I’m a Black woman. If you’re not interested in talking about that in your film set in the ’50s, you shouldn’t hire me.” She shared with Simu Liu during a chat for Variety’s Actors on Actors that working with the legendary filmmaker felt like a partnership. “He wanted to know if what he initially blocked felt authentic,” DeBose affirmed. “He gave us autonomy over our jobs, our characters, our experience.”
For his part, Spielberg told The Hollywood Reporter what DeBose brought to her role in West Side Story. “From her audition all the way through production, there was an empowerment about her that was just so palpable,” he asserted. “I’m not sure anyone can watch Ariana’s performance and not feel how tightly she had her arms around her own Anita and created her own special light.”
While DeBose actually filmed the tentpole feature before appearing in the Apple TV+ series Schmigadoon! and Ryan Murphy’s Netflix feature The Prom, its pushed release date meant audiences saw her work in those two projects before the actor’s breakout role in West Side Story. Next up for the rising star is Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s sci-fi thriller I.S.S. and Matthew Vaughn’s star-studded spy movie Argylle.
But long before those upcoming films bow, there’ll be this year’s Oscars ceremony on March 27. At that time, you can find out if DeBose experiences another career milestone first and winds up with a win for Best Supporting Actress. But in the meantime, we certainly think she’s earned her place in the spotlight.
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